The political slugfest over the 34-hour restart dominated the news from Washington, D.C., in the second half of 2014, but that obscure provision of the hours of service rule is not nearly as important as other developments during the year.

Thursday night's approval of an omnibus spending bill by the House of Representatives brought a suspension of the controversial 34-hour restart provision of truck driver hours-of-service regulations one step closer to reality.

Trucking interests are close to victory in their fight to suspend the current 34-hour restart provision of the hours of service rule. The appropriations bill negotiated by the Senate and House will cut off funding for enforcement of the restart while the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration studies its impact.

The industry’s effort to shut off public access to truck safety data continues with a proposal by Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pa., to temporarily shield the information. The Safer Trucks and Buses Act says CSA data should not be available to the public.

Partisan differences halted Senate debate on an appropriations bill that includes a suspension of the 34-hour restart provision of the hours of service rule. As the debate began, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., introduced an amendment that would change Sen. Susan Collins’s provision calling for suspension of the restart and a study of its impact.

In a letter to U.S. House of Representatives members sent this week, Teamsters Union President James Hoffa denounced two potential amendments to legislation saying they will weaken highway safety standards by putting fatigued drivers on the road in bigger, heavier trucks.

U.S. Representatives Tom Petri, R-Wis., Chairman of the House Highways and Transit Subcommittee, and Bill Shuster, R-Penn., Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, introduced legislation on Tuesday to help expedite propane deliveries during the cold weather season.

As we look back at 2013, here's our annual look at the top news stories of the year. Our list was compiled on the basis of popularity on our website, Truckinginfo.com, as well as our editors' opinions on which stories have the most impact on the trucking industry.

With the House and Senate going to conference on a Water Resources Development bill, the way is clear for transportation committees in both chambers to take up reauthorization of the federal highway program.

Even as a federal court was recently upholding most of the hours of service rules, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has been working on a field study of the 34-hour restart that could influence that provision in the future, and there's a move on Capitol Hill to force the agency to return to the old rules.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., reintroduced a bill that would restrict truck size and weight limits. His move positions a familiar piece in the size-and-weight chess match as the next highway bill approaches.

The ink on the new highway bill is hardly dry, yet one transportation group already is pushing for an amendment.
The Association of Independent Property Brokers & Agents is lobbying to repeal the $75,000 bond requirement for brokers and freight forwarders that's in the law Congress passed in June